What Is Wrong With People

master of none

got called to place a bid to replace a deck.... Thought i gave them a good price (19.50 a foot) including tear out of old deck and haul away..... gave them a nice drawing of there new deck...seven sides, bench seats, rail, steps, skirting and to top it off its nearly 5ft off the ground....

I have done work for them before (kitchen remodel) so they know what kind I work I do. Dont think I could do it for less... I got to earn a living....
what do people expect. If they want a nice deck they got to pay a good contractor... Or am I wrong? I got to land some work...

curapa

So, what was their reaction to you price? Did athey think you were trying to rip them off or something?

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master of none

they haven't called back or replied to my bid. they still might. but im not going to hold my breath.... the sad thing is they have the money.

ProWallGuy

Time to do a call back, doncha think?

These days, I get a lead/give a bid for a job I want or need, I hold onto it like a pitbull. I do follow-ups until they tell me I got the job, someone else got the job, or quit bothering me please go away.

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Wallpaper Hanger St. Louis
Digital Murals Installation

curapa

Definitely give them a call back.

My call backs usually consist of,... Hi this is Curt with Parker Fence and Deck, I am just giving you a follow up call to make sure you did not have any other questions about the project or my bid and to schedule a start date.

You would be surprised at the amount of questions that may still need to be answered and the increase in your close rate.

I just started doing call backs on the jobs I want or need last year and It has definitely helped.

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knucklehead

The squeaky wheel gets the grease

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NKLHD

master of none

thanks guys your right.... will do.....just a little frustrated still getting the calls but not landing as many these days. Its getting harder to compete..... maybe being ligament AKA licensed, insured, comp.. isnt the way to go these days. hate to say it... i always said, do it right of dont do it at all. Maybe its time for a change.

DecksEtc

PLEASE tell us you didn't "give" them the drawing without getting paid for it. If you did, you set yourself up to not get that job.

master of none

I dropped the ball on that one.....i meant to give them the cover sheet (just the photo) but ended up sending them tho whole thing.... still dont think there the type who will pick up a hammer and do it them self... but I might be wrong.... its happened before

Greg Di

I don't even leave my written proposals behind if they don't sign. I don't even leave the price in writing either. The last thing you want people doing is a side by side comparison because it turns your work into a commodity based on price alone. Since I don't work for anyone based on price, my approach works well.

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master of none

I use to give people proposals right on the spot... you know the carbon copy ones. But now I try to send them proposals via e-mail on nice forms... I think It makes me look more professional....am I wrong? do you guys think I need to change back to on the spot hand written proposals... when I send them the e-mailed proposals it just seems to give me a little bit more time to research my numbers.. These days I cant afford to leave any money on the table.

curapa

If you do send your proposals via email then you defiantly need to give a follow up call. I usually leave a job proposal at the first meeting for the smaller jobs that I know my prices on. The larger jobs I take down the info and get back to them. Depending on the job size and type I will either schedule another meeting or discuss it over the phone.

I make my own proposal/estimate forms and still use the carbon copy method. Make a nice one in Word and then use your same old carbon sheets.

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WisePainter

That is about my only weakness, forcing myself to make that "call"...the one where you need an answer...NOW!

Or gets replaced.

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My advice: Hire a real painter to do it.

Leo G

Just don't do it. You will probably forget something or miss something. Just not worth it to give a price on the spot when there is more than 1 or 2 hours worth of work and minimal material. And it will be the price they remember when you come back to tell them it is going to be $2K more than your original guess. They will think you are trying to rip them off. I have on a few occasions made a ball park guess. And I always was low. I just won't do it anymore. It is not fair to either party.

Pricing by the sq ft or some other area is doable. But most jobs are not.

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Custom Cabinets in Hartford County Connecticut

Greg Di

Then stop emailing proposals to people.

Go there, in person, PRESENT your proposal and get them to sign it. Most people can't say "no" to someone's face. You send an email? That is too easy to say no to, ignore, or convince themselves out of.

Don't believe me? Present your next five proposals in person. I dare you to try it.

OTOH, I just talked to a lady on the phone, and she sent me a deposit for a $1k railing job site unseen. It's all in the way you sell yourself.

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Greg Di

That's idiocy too. I would expect my contractor to put some thought into their proposal. Unless it's a super layup quote, you damn well better put some effort into thinking through the job. I don't care who you are, you shouldn't be quoting anything on the spot for your own good. It makes you look to simplistic and not-detail oriented to the HO.

I could write a five page proposal to change a sink if I wanted to, just to make it look important. It separates your work from the idiot writing the quote on the spot with carbon forms.

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naptown CR

[quote=Greg Di;667583]Then stop emailing proposals to people.

Go there, in person, PRESENT your proposal and get them to sign it. Most people can't say "no" to someone's face. You send an email? That is too easy to say no to, ignore, or convince themselves out of.


I could not agree more

WisePainter

Good point.

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WarnerConstInc.

Thats great. People give you funny looks when I do something like that for something that may seem simple.

Usually works every time!

master of none

You all made some good points and I will start doing things a bit different. But I think we missed the point. The point is I/we go the extra mile. We hold a strait face when the HO asks stupid question, we take the time to give a fair honest bid and we back up our contracts with quality craftsmanship. The facts are... people dont care about that kind of stuff as much anymore. Its all about the # at the bottom of the page. It wouldn't matter if you came up to the job with a pouch full of bent nails... if the # is right your going to get the job. there's alot of hungry carpenters out there looking for work and there numbers are low... im going to have to find away to cut some overhead...just so I can compete with the lowballers.